Hereditary
by Willow Fireheart
Summary: Shawn Carter O'Neill knew his parents were important. He just didn't know how important, until now... First in the Family Business series


**Hereditary **

Spoilers- AU's sometime after Daniel's return.  
Disclaimer- Characters don't belong to me, except Shawn and Danielle.  
Warning- Violence towards minors.  
xxx

If Shawn O'Neill had been asked about his parents two days ago he would have said this:

His mother- she was a mathematical genius, a Colonel in the USAF, an exceedingly nice person and she was beautiful to boot. Her only faults were her obsessive tendencies when it came to her experiments and the fact that she couldn't cook anything edible apart from cookies and soufflé.

His father- Major General in the USAF, he was CO of the Cheyenne Mountain base, he had an excellent sense of humour and he was, overall, a pretty cool dad.

That, however, was two days ago and a lot can happen in two days.

xxxxx

"Shawn! Hurry up; you'll miss your bus!"

"Coming, Mom!" Shawn O'Neill pulled his head out from under his bed, triumphantly clutching a previously hidden Victoria's Secret catalogue. "Score!"

Not wanting his mom or little sister to catch him, he stuffed it in his back pack, hiding it between his Calculus and Physics textbooks.

"Shawn!" His mother's voice was much closer this time. She probably had one foot on the stairs and was debating with herself whether or not to come up and drag him down. "Come on! Breakfast then bus!

Shawn slung his backpack over his shoulder and ran down the stairs, missing every second one. His mother raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say a word. She pointed at the set table.

"Eat, and that's an order."

Shawn grinned at her. "Yes, ma'am."

"Mom! I can't find my book report!" Danielle Janet O'Neill was far too much like her father when it came to paper work.

Sam Carter- O'Neill sighed. "Have you checked your bag?"

"Yes!"

"What about your desk?"

"Yes!"

"Ellie, did you check the top left hand draw of your desk, under all the hastily piled notebooks?"

"Damn!" Yep, just like her father.

Sam grinned. "Language, young lady. Now come down for breakfast."

xxxxx

"Hey, Shawn!"

Shawn looked up as he got off the bus. His friends, Tom and Fred, waved him over. With a quick wave goodbye to his sister, Shawn hurried over.

"Did ya get it?" Tom demanded.

Shawn smirked. "Good morning to you too."

"Yeah, yeah. Morning. Now, did you get it?"

Shawn reached into his bag and grabbed the catalogue he had stashed there. He held it up for inspection.

"Score!"

Fred and Tom moved closer to him. "Whoa, man. I did not believe you, but I hafta admit, you came through."

Shawn shrugged. "Yeah, well."

He jumped as a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. "Shawn O'Neill?"

Shawn turned slowly, shoving the catalogue into his friends' hands. He gulped as he examined the two men dressed in stern black suits. "Who's asking?"

The man on the right, who was identical to the man on the left, reached into his jacket and pulled out a badge. "We're with the Pentagon. We need to speak with you, it's about your mother and father."

"What? What about them?"

"If you'll just come with us."

The men stationed themselves on either side of Shawn and guided him back to a dark coloured car. Shawn eyed the men nervously. Something wasn't right about this. If something happened to his mom or dad Uncle Daniel, Teal'c or Aunt Janet would have come. Someone from the mountain, not the Pentagon. And the man hadn't let him get a good look at the badge either.

"I think this is far enough," Shawn said uneasily. He stopped before he hit the sidewalk.

The man on his left produced a gun from nowhere. "Get in the car or I start firing," he hissed.

Shawn searched the front of the school, looking for help.

One of the men pushed him forward. "Get in the car, kid. We don't wanna hurt you."

"But we will if we have to," the other chuckled evilly.

With one last desperate glance, Shawn climbed into the car.

xxxxx

"You think we should question him?"

"Nah, he's just a kid. He doesn't know nothing."

"You sure?"

The other man hesitated. "Aw hell, go for it. Just don't hurt the boy too bad. Boss wants him in one piece."

"I ain't gonna hurt him…much."

Shawn swallowed hard as the two men laughed evilly. He jerked on the ropes that confined his hands together behind the chair. The laughter had managed to disturb the thin veneer of calm Shawn was trying to project.

Once again Shawn looked around the room he had been imprisoned in. The room was just four bare concrete walls with small windows high up in the wall. And the windows were barred. There was nothing to help him.

He exhaled heavily as the door opened. The guy who had threatened him with the gun entered the room with an evil smirk on his face. Shawn stared bravely at him.

"Hello, boy."

Shawn set his jaw stubbornly.

The man laughed. "You talk, boy. I'm gonna make you tell me everything you know."

"Sure, just give me a topic," Shawn said sarcastically. "How about physics?"

The man stalked forward and backhanded Shawn across the face. "Show some respect."

Shawn glared up at him.

"Your parents, you little fool. Their work under that damn mountain. Tell me what you know about the stargate."

Shawn set his jaw and remained silent. What the hell was a stargate? And why did this guy think his parents had anything to do with it?

The man was infuriated by Shawn's silence. He lashed out at the boy. Shawn grunted as he was punched in the chest and stomach. He felt something crack in his chest.

"Tell me!"

The bubble that had been building in Shawn's chest burst. "I don't know anything!"

"Wrong answer." The man pulled back his fist.

"I swear I don't know!" Shawn shut his eyes and screwed up his face, preparing for the impact.

A bright light flashed in the room. It was so bright Shawn could see it through his screwed up eyelids. When nothing happened Shawn very carefully opened his eyes. The bare concrete was gone, replaced instead with shiny metal and a glass like substance that showed the dark of space.

"Do not be afraid, young O'Neill. I mean you no harm."

The ropes that had restrained his hands loosened and Shawn was able to pull his arms free. He turned to face the owner of the lyrical voice and stopped short.

Shawn let out a bark of hysterical laughter. When had his life become a science fiction show? Had he stepped into the twilight zone? How else could he be staring at a Roswell Grey? One almost identical to his favorite childhood toy? Aliens? What the hell?

"Do not be alarmed, young O'Neill," the alien repeated. "I am called Thor. I retrieved you from the building you were imprisoned in."

"I-ah… Thanks?"

Thor paused on his way back to the console. He blinked his wide black eyes. "You are most welcome."

The little alien toddled back over to his console and moved a funky glowing stone around. Another bright flash of light blinded Shawn and by the time he blinked the spots away from his sight both his mother and his father were standing beside him.

"Shawn!" Sam gasped. She caught him in a tight embrace. A second later his father was there, embracing the both of them.

"Mom! Dad!" Shawn clutched fiercely at his parents, holding on to them for dear life.

"Shawn, are you okay?"

Sam pulled back slightly and checked him for injuries. Seeing no obvious signs, she embraced him again.

Shawn raised his head from his mother's shoulder to meet his father's gaze. He sniffed. "Yeah, I think so."

"He is not, O'Neill," Thor spoke up from behind the family. "He has fractured several of his ribs."

Jack hissed lowly between his teeth his face hardening. "Bastards."

Shawn flinched slightly, wincing as the movement pulled at his bruised cheek. He had only seen his father like this a few times. It scared the hell out of him.

Sam wiped tears away from her eyes. She turned to Thor. "Can you-?"

The tiny alien nodded. "I can, Colonel Carter." He fiddled with his console again.

A warm soothing light filled Shawn. It eased away the dull ache in his chest and his body tingled. Shawn closed his eyes and let the light work its magic. As the light faded he opened his eyes again.

"That was cool," he breathed.

Sam ran a hand over his ribs. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Fine, except for the part where I was kidnapped, interrogated about my parent's work and, oh yeah, beamed aboard an alien spaceship!" Shawn breathed heavily, his emotions swirling about chaotically.

Sam ran a hand soothingly over Shawn's head. She met Jack's gaze, biting her lip.

"We should tell him," Jack said softly.

"But-"

"Thor said he wanted to do some tests on him soon."

"Tests?" Shawn looked at the Asgard, his eyes wide.

Sam sighed. Her baby, her little Shawnie. She nodded at Jack. "Okay."

"Tests?!" Shawn repeated.

Jack lowered himself gingerly to the floor of the ship, cursing old age and aliens who didn't need or provide chairs. "Our work under the mountain isn't exactly what we said it was…"

xxxxx

"Whoa!" Shawn said numbly. "Aliens are real? This Thor guy is an honest to god alien. And he wants to perform tests on me?"

Sam bit her lip. He was taking this better than she expected. "Yes, but they won't hurt. It will just take him a few minutes to scan you."

Shawn nodded. "Uh huh. He wants to scan me because Dad has some Ancient gene and you had one of those gold-thingies in your head, which, incidentally, Grandpa happens to have as well."

Jack nodded. "Sounds about right."

Shawn felt red hot anger bubble in his chest. "And you hid this from us for all this time? You two are international heroes, intergalactic heroes!"

Sam shared a sad look with Jack. "We wanted to but-"

"The Stargate is a secret for a reason, Shawn. Only a handful of people outside the mountain know about it."

"But-"

"No." Jack cut him off. "Your mother and I always planned to tell you. In fact, Thor was buggin' me about it the other day. He hasn't seen you in person since you were six years old."

Jack smirked at the shocked look on Shawn's face.

"Oh yeah," he said. "You've been up here a few times. Until you started getting nightmares and your mother put her foot down."

"Shawn, if you don't want to do it just say the word. I'm sure Thor won't mind."

Shawn drew in a deep breath. "He's trying to save his race. I can't exactly say no."

Jack and Sam smiled proudly at him.

"Did I ever tell you about how your father and I ended up together?"

Shawn shook his head, suppressing a sigh. Mom and her mushy romance stories. Very gross.

"We worked together for years, you knew that. We were on a mission through the stargate, one day shortly after Uncle Daniel returned when we were attacked by Jaffa. One of them shattered my left hip. We were trapped on the planet for three days, and there was nothing your father or uncles could do for me. We eventually got back to the SGC and your Aunt Janet did what she could. Your Grandpa tried to heal me with a Goa'uld healing device but it didn't work. It didn't look like I was ever going to walk properly again. I was lucky to have the range of movement that I did, but I was taken off active."

Shawn frowned. This was the first time he heard of this. His mother never showed any signs of hip problems. She could walk fine.

"Your father and I started dating, we got married and I got pregnant with you. Aunt Janet was worried. There were complications. Something to do with the protein marker and my hip. I was about five months along when Thor beamed me up on to this very ship and he was able to heal me. He saved you by doing that. You're very special to Thor and not just because you're our son. He was there when you were born. You smiled at him. He didn't scare you one bit."

"Not until you were six and then I think it was more the beaming and flashing lights."

Shawn drew up his courage and prepared himself. "All right. Call him back in. Let's get these tests done."

xxxxx

Shawn opened his eyes slowly as the bright light faded away.

"You have our many thanks, young O'Neill."

Shawn rubbed his neck, his face flushed. "Aw, it was nothing."

"Are the tests complete?" Sam asked anxiously.

Thor gave a little smile. "We have enough data to work with, Colonel Carter. Though we would request your assistance again when his development is complete."

"That's up to Shawn," Jack said quietly.

Shawn swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay." He turned to his parents. "What now?"

"Thor beams us back down. We pick up Ellie from Cassie's. We find the brains behind this stunt today, lock them in a room with T and live happily ever after."

"Just like that?"

Jack grinned. "Yep."

Shawn cocked his head to the side. "Yeah okay."

xxxxx

Smoke curled into the air as the inner ring of the stargate spun. One of the chevrons clicked down and back up again before lighting up.

"Chevron five encoded!"

The spinning continued.

"Chevron six encoded!"

The air in the control room was thick with anticipation.

"Chevron seven is locked!"

The wormhole burst into the gate room before settling into the stone ring. The event horizon rippled.

"Whoa!" Shawn breathed out. He had the feeling this wouldn't be the last time he would see that.

Jack smirked down at his son. "So, waddaya think?"

Shawn grinned. "Very cool."

xxx

end


End file.
